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Hey! There was an interesting article in Huffington Post yesterday and here are the important parts of the story.

According to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which looked at “powerhouse” fruits and vegetables that reduced the risk of chronic disease, kale was ranked #15 and cauliflower was #24.
Each fruit and vegetable was ranked based on foods that provided, on average, more than 10 per cent of 17 key nutrients per 100 calories. Researchers looked at levels of potassium, fibre, protein, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K. In total, 47 foods were ranked, with 41 making the list. Raspberry, tangerine, cranberry, garlic, onion, and blueberry didn’t make the cut.

I love apples! How far are they down the list?

Watercress

Chinese Lettuce

Chard

Beet Green

Spinach Yeah

Chicory

Leaf Lettuce

Parsley Should I be sitting down to a bowl of parsley for lunch?

Romaine Lettuce Yeah

Collard Greens

Turnip Greens Probably Yuck, nothing good ever came from a turnip

Mustard Greens Yuck

Endive

Chives

Kale

Dandelion Greens Yuck

Red Pepper Yuck (Note: They hate me too and make me suffer if I eat them by accident)

Arugula

Broccoli Yeah

Pumpkin All the ways I know to eat pumpkin involve sugar and spice

Brussels Sprouts

Scallion

Kohlrabi

Cauliflower

Cabbage Yuck

Carrot Yuck

Tomato

Lemon

Iceberg Lettuce Yeah

Strawberry Yeah

Radish

Winter Squash Yuck

Orange

Lime

Pink Grapefruit

Rutabaga

Turnip Yuck

Blackberry Yeah

Leek

Sweet Potato Yuck

White Grapefruit

I always thought kale was better that any lettuce and that iceberg lettuce was just filler and not very nutritious. I can’t believe lemon beat out strawberry as the most nutritious fruit. I’m not happy carrots are so far up the list. I have been really trying to sell the idea that they are basically orange coloured white potatoes so I don’t have to eat any ever!

Just how far down the list is blueberry? Mind blown!!!

Oh! Wait a minute blueberries are not going down without a fight. I’m seeing some chit-chat online about phytonutrients being ignored and demands for blueberries to be elevated up the list. Yeah! GO BLUEBERRIES!

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Comments

Blueberry didn’t make the cut! — 8 Comments

As a future chef and currently studying nutrition, I don’t entirely agree with this tally. Where is the kiwi …..a known power fruit? Also missing is garlic, shallots, and yeah the blueberry. I don’t disagree either as all those mentioned are super good for you, but to me it seems like a personal opinion.
Great to have you up and writing to us Cindy.!

I am going to have a big salad of Romaine lettuce with chives and walnuts and mushrooms and a little bit of tomato for lunch today and I don’t have to feel bad about not eating Kale instead! I will only feel bad about the blue cheese I am putting on top! YEAH! Then for my snack I have strawberries and blueberries! I may start to glow with good health!

Turnips are great; when making a potato soup, and wanting small potato cubes, just cut up a turnip into those potato cubes and mix it in with the rest of the potatoes. The turnips hold their shape better, don’t break down into starch, and have the same mouth feel as the ideal potato cube. You can grate them too, mixing them into shredded potatoes when you make potato latke.

Turnip greens are great, too, cooked. Treat them like spinach and you can barely tell the difference.

Baked sweet potato fries and slices can be spiced with cinnamon and sugar, or Cajun spices, or whatever floats your boat. They are a great change up from fried potatoes and since their sweet, they’re awesome. There are oodles of recipes out there to pique your interest.

Winter squash–whatever that is–most likely is great baked and then you put in butter and brown sugar. Delish!

Shred your cabbage into 1mm strips or even smaller, and this is a whole cabbage we’re talking about. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a thick-bottomed pan and when the oil’s shimmery–and a drop of water skips and hops in it–add the cabbage. Cook it down half way and then add 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar, and cook until it’s all tender. Sweet, tasty and so good! (The recipe I adapted was found here: http://www.welw.com/interactive/recipes/cabbage.html)

I have to admit I don’t really give turnips a chance. We had to eat them raw and cooked in Home Economics in high school and they were terrible. I am a big white potato lover and I sometimes substitute cauliflower, but maybe I should give turnip another chance.